Wiley lecture series to present Iraq-experienced speakers

Series programs increasingly progressive messages

By: Amanda Grosgebauer

Posted: 4/18/08

The Memorial Student Center Wiley Lecture Series will present "Iraq: The Road Home," as its main lecture of the year to celebrate its 25th anniversary at 8 p.m. Friday in Rudder Auditorium.

The Wiley Lecture Series aims to develop and encourage thought-provoking discussion on national and foreign policy issues through the production of lecture programs.

Every year, the series strives to develop more progressive programming by increasing the potential influential scope of the message and prestige of the renowned speakers.

First chartered in 1982 and called the MSC Endowed Lecture Series, the series has featured speakers of high credibility and national recognition, most recently, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former CBS Evening News anchorman Walter Cronkite and former General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev.

The lecture will focus on the possible directions the United States could take with its occupation in Iraq. Speakers include L. Paul Bremer, Peter Pace and Lee Hamilton, moderated by Bernard Kalb.

Bremer, director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-occupation Iraq following the 2003 invasion, was appointed by President George Bush to oversee reconstruction. He served under the secretary of defense as the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority from 2003 until Iraqi sovereignty in June 2004.

Before his role in the Coalition Provisional Authority, Bremer served as an ambassador from 1983 to1989 and later became managing director at Kissinger and Associates, a worldwide consulting firm founded by Henry Kissinger.

Pace was the first marine ever to be appointed 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking military office. Until summer 2007, Pace was the primary military adviser for Bush and his administration.

Former Congressman Hamilton served as the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission and the co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group. Hamilton serves on the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council, having previously served in the House of Representatives for 34 years.

Kalb, before retiring, covered international affairs for more than three decades for CBS News, NBC News and The New York Times.

In the weeks leading up to the main lecture, the Wiley Lecture Series has presented a series of symposia to inform the student body about the topic, providing background and scholarly opinions.